Algorithms create foundry-ready photonic circuits
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute and Harvard have developed photonic microchip components that are significantly smaller than traditional designs. By using inverse design algorithms, the team created functional parts that improve data processing speeds for AI and quantum technologies.
Why it matters
Advancements in photonic chip miniaturization are critical for the future of high-speed data processing and next-generation computing infrastructure.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source A photonic microchip, shown next to a 10-euro-cent coin for scale, containing hundreds of inverse-designed components developed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Harvard University. Credit: MPL, Toby Bi Photonic microchips can process data at extremely high speeds and are embedded in a wide variety of today's technologies. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) and Harvard University have now succeeded in developing three functional components for such chips that are up to 500 times smaller than conventional designs. The researchers used inverse design, a computer algorithm, to achieve this. The results are published in Nature Communications .
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